Shooting the Sparks
by Kaori Hashim
Summary: A dangerous female mutant is resucued by the X-men.
1. Prolog

Title: Untitled Authors Notes: It is initially starts at a church BBQ where they are having a service before the food and games. It is open air and is mid-summer. Enjoy.  
***  
  
Prologue  
  
Lucy sat listening to Father Branen preach about the value of The Family and The Church. They no longer had any meaning to her. She had lost both the day Sarah left.  
  
It had been Sarah's 18th when she left. Sarah was Lucy's best friend, not just her older sister and guardian. She had protected her and looked out for her all her life.  
  
The sun shone down on the back of Lucy's neck burning it slowly. The annual 'Family Barbeque' was normally an event she looked forward to but now. Now she resented everything including her family, her church and herself. The anger she felt towards everything was building up in her, the words of the Father just making it all that more worse. As pure hated of everything crept upon her she felt a burning in her mouth and a stinging in her piercing blue eyes.  
  
Suddenly someone was pulling her shirtsleeve, tugging her upwards. Wanting to curl up and die she pushed the arm away, repelling it as if it was her worst nightmare. Looking up she saw her mothers face peering down at her, whispering under her breath words that were obscured by the buzzing pulsing through her body. The sound was like something she had heard as a child and had scared her to death.  
The sound of electricity.  
  
The fear of what was possessing her made her want to tremble, but she couldn't. As the buzz ran through her she felt the heads of near by people staring at her. Losing all control of her body and mind the pure power flowing through her made her stand up, raise her hands, scream and. 


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One  
  
It was early Tuesday evening and last lesson had been cancelled due and incident involving a girl who could walk up any surface, a boy who can shoot a sticky residue from his wrists and a lovers tiff. Scott and Jean had decided to spend the evening together rather than help clean up the school.  
  
Scott was at the table reading the paper he had meaning to read all day while Jean was writing up a report on the mentioned incident.  
"Jean, come over here." Scott called out to his girlfriend signalling for her to some and look at the article he was reading. "Look at what it says ' Mutant Trashes Church BBQ' what do you think?"  
  
" I think we need to get the Professor." She said while reading the article over his shoulder.  
  
" I agree." Folding up the paper, he stood up, put it in his back pocket and followed Jean out the door. Heading towards the Professors office they avoided the afflicted rooms by taking the long way round. Knocking on the door they called out for the Professor.  
  
"Come on in Jean, Scott." The professor was talking to a young girl with long black hair and a boy of similar age with dyed blue hair. The atmosphere in the room was tense, most likely created by the death glares both of the pupils were giving each other. The professor excused them from his office and signalled to Jean and Scott to take a seat.  
  
"So Jean, Scott what can I do for you?" He said smiling warmly towards the both of them. He was wearing a dark grey suit with a matching tie and a white shirt. The professor sat behind his dark mahogany desk and watched Jean and Scott sit down, noticing that they were both worked up about something.  
  
"We're here about an article in the paper. I don't know if you've seen it yet but look." Cyclopes pulled the paper out of his back pocket and planted on the table. Xavier picked it up and started to read.  
  
" Yes I have. I've been waiting to see when someone would come to me about the article." He paused to look at them both, " I think immediate action is needed so Jean can you get Ororo, Logan and Marie and tell them to come to my office at 7pm. Scott can you find Bobby and get the jet ready for a flight tonight and then meet here at 7. Any problems?" They shook their heads. "See you at 7 then."  
  
***  
  
Six figures approached the stealth jet hidden under the basketball court at about 7:30pm on a chilly Tuesday evening. The first to ascend the ramp to the jet was a women in her early 30's with auburn hair and a concerning look on her face. Next was a woman who was in her late 20's with long white hair and a black cloak flowing dramatically out behind her. Flicking the cloak out of his path with a quick bat of his a hand a shortish yet broad and powerful man with huge side burns followed the women up the ramp while looking over his shoulder at a young boy and girl lagging behind. The pair, about 10 meters behind the others, were 17 or 18 in age and holding hands. The boy, slightly taller than the girl had short hair and wore a cheeky grin on his face. The girl had long dark hair with two white streaks at the front and wore smooth black gloves over her hands. Last to board the jet was a tall handsome man in his 30's who had a red visor over his eyes. He wore the uniform tight leather suit with an X on it and pulled it off almost as good as the females.  
  
Jean sat in the pilots seat with Storm to her right. In the second row Wolverine and Cyclops sat silently, glancing at each other and Jean. Behind them in the fuselage Rogue and Iceman sat across from each other, sending flirty eye signals, but out the other X-men's line of vision. The inside of the jet was made of a sleek shiny metal that was warm to the touch but left no mark when something was pressed against it. The sound of the powerful engines was barely heard, hardly any louder than the hum of a laptop. The switching on of the engines automated the sliding doors concealed in the basketball court above. As the light flooded in the jet slowly and silently rose through the opening in the court. A couple of kids who had been playing basketball before they were interrupted stood at the side of the pitch in awe of what they were seeing. Even though the jet was as black as night it still went almost unnoticed in the pale pink and golden sky. As it rose further and further into the sky it turned west and headed for Buffalo.  
  
Jean turned her head round to talk to the pair in the back. "Rogue, Bobby. I have only one rule and one rule only. No back seat driving. Alright."  
  
"Shouldn't you be watching were your going Doctor?" Bobby cheekily replied. Jean glared at him then averted her vision forwards.  
  
"So how long 'till we arrive at Buffalo then Doc." Logan lent forward to talk to Jean. She tapped on the touch screen mounted in the control panel.  
  
"According to my calculations we should arrive in about 30 minutes." Jean returned to the monitor and pressed the plasma screen while it bleeped contentedly.  
  
" So does this thing have a radio?" Logan leant forward again, much to Scott's disapproval.  
  
"No." Scott cut in before Jean had the chance to answer. In the fuselage Bobby leant forward and whispered to Rogue. She giggled. The pair went on in whispers for most of the remaining journey.  
  
As they approached Buffalo, they felt the jet slow down. Scott unbuckled his belt and turned around to face the crew.  
  
"Okay folks. You all know what the professor said. In and out with as little as possible damage. Now you all know the basic drill. Storm, we're going to land in a near by copse, so I need you to make something to help conceal it. I don't know a quick thunderstorm should distract any visitors. While we were in the air Jean pulled up a schematic of the estate and the general layout is something like this." A blue technical drawing appeared out of thin air "Ok. Jean and I will take the front. We will enter through this door here," He pointed to a double door at the front of the spinning schematic. "We will be taken into one of these reception rooms here or here. Now from what we know the oldest daughter as moved out so we don't have to think about that. Wolverine you and Rogue take the back and enter through the conservatory. I want to you to search the downstairs" He pointed to Rogue " And Logan take the upstairs. Remember to look for attics and cellars. They're the most likely places were people would try to conceal a mutant. Okay. Storm you stay here with the jet and Bobby you guard the outside. If anything goes wrong just think about what it is and Jean'll pick it up. That goes for all of you. If anything happens just think and either Jean and I will come." He clicked her fingers and the schematic disappeared. "Now the address is 34 Rector Road and is about ½ a mile west. When we land I'll give you further instructions."  
  
Bobby pulled his hands up to face and breathed heavily upon them. How ironic. The Iceman was cold. When Jean had clouded the sky over she also made it cold. Another deterrent to any nosy neighbours.  
  
It was completely dark and the only light he could see by was the moon. Jean and Cyclops had just entered the house and he couldn't see Rogue or Wolverine. Stepping out from behind the tree he had been told to stand behind the thought about how this wasn't how he imagined his first official X-men outing. He stalked round the side of the house trying to avoid the security lights of both this house and the neighbours. His mind wandered to Rogue and what fun she would be having. He envied her for being assigned to the inside job, not only because it was cold outside but it also was more exciting inside. Searching rooms and looking for trap doors, the stuff he had dreamed of since he was knee-high. He was still imaging everything happening on the inside when he heard a noise. It was almost like a hissing scrape.  
  
Turning around he saw a small, grey tabby cat, her hackles up. Bending down he cooed softly to her, gently putting his hand out to her. Backing down she came slowly over to him and sniffed him. Deciding he was okay she started to wind in and out of his legs. The small cat took him back to when he was a child. He had always loved animals, ever since his mom let him keep those little goldfish you win at fairs. They were the happy times. Believe it or not he'd want to become a vet until recently. Until his power put a stop to that. He had images of examining someone's beloved a pet and some how freezing them.  
  
A quick, sharp breeze passed across the back of his back neck taking him out of his cat induced unawareness. Standing up he turned quickly around searching the surroundings. Continuing tepidly forward he started circle the house, his senses on high alert. 


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two  
  
Lucy sat playing with her food. Her father had brought her down a bowl of piping hot beef broth an hour ago but she hadn't eaten it She couldn't face food. Only now had she found the strength to stumble in the darkness across the room to the door and pick the stone cold soup up. In all honesty she hadn't noticed her father enter. The house was kept in near darkness since the incident. That was what Father Brenen had said to her parents. 'Feed her 3 sturdy meals every day, keep the room darkened and quiet and pray that this is a passing stage.'  
A passing stage indeed.  
  
Lucy could feel in her blood, in her mind, in her body that this was no passing stage. Something had changed within her mentality. Her mind was different, she was still Lucy Ruth Anderson, but something had happened. Everything that she had taken for granted and accepted for her whole life had been thrown out the window and had been replaced by a yearning. A yearning to discover who she was and what she was put on this earth to do with this, this power. Taking a sip of the cold soup she shuddered and dropped the spoon in pain.  
  
Something was wrong. Something was wrong above her in the main house. Thoughts raced through her head turning any trace of logical thinking to sheer confusion. She closed her eyes in an attempt to block out the pain the thoughts were bringing her. There were people upstairs in her house searching her room, talking to her parents. Lucy could see shadows of these impostors, even through her eyes were tightly closed. She started to sweat as the pain intensified along with the clearness of the images. She didn't know how but something in her mind was showing her all these facts and pictures of people she had never seen in her whole life, in her house, looking for her. She didn't know why they were looking for her, trying to think about it just caused too much pain. Huddling in the corner she prayed that the images would go away but they just got worse. She could hear noises reverting about her head. Someone was banging and screaming, banging and screaming, banging and screaming. Lucy was so deeply caught up by the images in her head that she didn't realise that the banging was someone kicking down the newly bolted door to the cellar and it was actually her that was screaming.  
  
***  
  
Wolverine kicked the door for the fourth time before it finally broke. Someone didn't want them to get in, or maybe they didn't want someone to get out. It had only taken Wolverine a few minutes to search the upstairs. By the time he had found Rogue there was only one more place left to look. Yelling at her to turn on some 'damn lights' so he could 'kick that door down' he repeatedly kicked the door to the cellar just beneath the lock and the new bolt that had been recently attached.  
  
The door flew wide open, its lock well and truly busted, sending dust and bits of wood flying. Particles danced in the light that was now streaming in through the gap where the door used to be. Wolverine strode though the door, appearing cool and confident. Little did Rogue know that underneath all his manliness he was scared of what he might find in that room, of this young girl who her parents found so awful that had to keep her bolted up in a darkened cellar. Was this 15 year old girl so dangerous even her parents didn't trust her? The screaming that they both had heard before intensified they Wolverine strode in, closely followed by Rogue.  
  
The room was surprisingly large. In front of them was an old chest and newspapers from years ago were scattered across the hard concrete floor. The only thing that made this cellar different from any other was the high pitched screaming coming from a girl curled up on a bed in the corner of the room. She sat in between the wall and the footboard, her head in her arms.  
  
By this time there was a small gathering at the entrance to the cellar. Wolverine a few paces into the room, stood his mind calculating what was happening and what he should do next. Rogue, in his shadow, stood in total awe of the situation, thinking about what part she played in all of this. Jean stood in the doorway watching the girl, trying to contact her but she couldn't. She tried to make sense of what she was thinking but all she could read was pain and despair. This was one very scared and hurt girl. Cyclops was upstairs, distracting the young girls parents and Iceman was still outside, circling the building. Now was the time to act. Jean stepped forward, pushing past Rogue and Wolverine.  
  
"Lucy. Lucy listen to me. My name is Jean Grey. I can help you if you let me in." Jean tried to find out what she was thinking. She tried to send her soothing images, to allow her to open up and by led to safety, to the Professor. She knelt down, getting closer "Lucy, let the fear escape, let it go away. Talk to me. Please."  
  
The atmosphere in the room was getting tenser as the seconds ticked away. Wolverine knew that it wasn't going to plan. The X-men had never tried anything like this before. Sure they had made rescues, but never going into anyone's home. They had assumed that this girl would want to come. They hadn't planned her not coming or at least not cooperating. Things were going from bad to worse. It seemed that Jean's magic charm wasn't working. You see the thing with run-aways is that they have run-away, they have said that they don't want to be at home with their family, so saving them is easy. But this was different. Lucy hadn't run away, or even attempted, so how can we know that she wants to come with us Wolverine thought. It was then that Wolverine noticed that the screaming had stopped and the room was eerily quiet. 


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three  
  
Jean and Xavier sat in the corner of the room observing the young girl who was asleep on the bed. Jean had shed the leather and in replacement was wearing a red roll neck jumper and a pair of black bootleg trousers accompanied with the white coat she wore when she was being Dr. Jean Grey. She was quietly re-telling the shenanigans of earlier that evening to the Professor who was listening avidly. When she had finished he paused before continuing their conversation, as if mulling things over in that great mind of his. He finally spoke.  
  
"So would you recommend that we try this type of mission again Jean?" Xavier looked up at Dr. Grey who was leaning against the counter top, chewing on a biro.  
  
"Honestly, no. It didn't go to plan, but for a first attempt it could have gone even worse than that. I mean we were lucky, to, we all came out alive," She glanced towards the door opposite "but I would go to Scott if you want the professional opinion. He would know more about it than me."  
  
"That's okay, Jean. I trust your opinion although I will consult Scott on the matter, and maybe even Logan." He gave Jean a warm smile and wheeled himself towards the girl lying on the bed. It was the first time he had seen the girl properly. She was classically pretty even though her pale skin looked almost white under the bright halogen lights of the surgery. She had white blonde hair cut so it rested on her slim built shoulders and unknown to all the X-men bright blue eyes. She was wearing the clothes that they had found in: a pair of cut off jeans, a white t-shirt with a green shirt over and surprisingly, odd socks but no shoes.  
  
"She's just sleeping off a headache. She was mumbling about images and pain. I couldn't really understand what she was on about but I gave her a mild sedative and something for the pain. She should be waking up soon." Jean walked around to the other side of the bed to face the Professor. "Do want me to call you when she wakes?" Jean checked Lucy's vitals on the machine monitoring her.  
  
"No, all though I do want to speak to hear, but not tonight. Lets leave it till the morning. How is Marie doing?"  
  
"Honestly, not very well, but hopefully she'll get over it. She's been showing some signs of improvement but she's still critical. Bobby's with her now."  
  
"Very well Jean, I shan't disturb him. I'll talk to you later." He turned and made for the automatic doors that concealed the unknown surgery were all new rescuee's were kept until the initial medical was over. She remembered to about this time last year when everyone's favourite patient, a Mr. Wolverine, was checked in. She had a feeling this young girl wasn't quite as violent, but then.  
  
Checking Lucy's stats one more time she left her and went through the door opposite to the one the Xavier left by. It led to another surgery, the same as the first one just smaller. Lying on the bed was Rogue. She had come off worst in this fiasco. Lucy had flipped and lashed out sending out bolts everywhere, one of which directly struck Rogue. She took the full blow of the electricity/lightening and it had thrown her across the room. The thing that stopped Marie on her impromptu flying lesson was the wall at the far end of the room, which she impacted on, leaving a hole 2 inches deep and about 5 foot long. Wolverine had reacted, immediately shooting out his adamantium claws and going for Lucy, until hearing Rogue groan and try to tell him to leave off. Rushing to her aide, Logan had given Lucy one of his If-She-Dies-And-Your-Not-One-Of-Us-I'll-Get-You looks while gathering a limp Rogue in his arms. He had then taken Rogue back to the jet where between him and Storm they had tried their best to stabilise her.  
  
When Jean entered Bobby was sitting next to Rogue, his gloved hand stroking her cheek. He looked up at the Doctor, his eyes substituting for the words he tried to choke out.  
  
"W-wi-will s-ssshe b-b-b-be." He was stumbling on his words his eyes welling up with a fresh wave of tears "o-o-okay?" His normally mischievous blue eyes had turned a watery grey, losing all their spark and fire that Jean knew had attracted Rogue to him.  
  
She sat opposite of Bobby so she could talk to him face to face. "Honestly Bobby, I'm sorry, but I don't know. The electricity seems to have caused damage to both her heart and lungs as well as burning her stomach and back. She took a blow to the head and broke her collar bone and left wrist when she smashed into the wall, but." She paused and tried to give him a reassuring look, but she couldn't see his eyes due to the tears blurring them. She could feel tears stinging the back of her eyes, but she continued. "But she's a fighter and she's responded well as far as I can tell. So it looks very promising. But we have to be positive. For ourselves as much as Marie." she stopped short of finishing her sentence, not knowing how to continue. She tried to make eye contact with Bobby but he wasn't with her, he was searching his soul trying to find himself just an ounce of hope but all he could think of was that she was going to die, even though he knew that she couldn't. Rogue was the love of his life. What he felt was like nothing on this world. He would die for her if it meant she would live. Every time he saw her or even thought about her his heart skipped a beat. It pounded harder every time she flicked her hair or glanced across the room at him. Some days he thought it would beat itself straight out of his ribcage. She was his reason for waking up in the morning, for enduring double maths and for going to bed at night. She was the sun in his sky, the whistle in his wind, the light of his life. He couldn't let her die. Ever. But then the situation wasn't in his control.  
  
"Bobby, that's not what I meant. The fact that she's still alive now is very promising. Now whether that's because she is a mutant or just because she is a fighter, I can't tell yet, but we still don't know the full extent " Jean tried to reassure him that Rogue was okay that she would pull through but the tears in her eyes told another story. Walking around the bed to be next to Bobby, the sound of her boots on the cold floor filled the silent room. The feeling of angst and worry was reflected in the silent atmosphere of the surgery.  
  
Bobby felt Jean put her arm round his shoulders. She gently rubbed the top of his shoulder blade, just like the way his mum used to do when one of his beloved pets had died or when he had hurt himself.  
  
"Tell me she won't die. Promise me you will do every you can to help her live." He shrugged off her arm and turned in his seat to face her, taking his hand away from Marie's face for the first time since he had seen her lying there, helplessly hooked up to about 3 machines. "Promise me she'll survive."  
  
Jean's heart was torn in two over the young man's plea. Her medical training told her to tell him that she was a doctor, not a miracle worker, but she would do her best by Rogue. Jean the teacher told her to promise him that by tomorrow night Rogue would be back to normal and everything would hunky-dory and Jean the friend told her to just be there for him. Simply whispering "I'll do my best" she took him back in her embrace as tears fell down both Bobby and Jean's face.  
  
***  
  
It is a well known fact that the corridors of a boarding school, or any school in that matter, are never empty. Even in the dead of night. Lovers, late night rendezvous and peckish midnight snacker's mean the corridors are always occupied, even at 2:19 in the morning However, the occupier of this corridor wasn't a student. He wasn't even a teacher. He was an X-men. And one defying his orders. Wolverine had been told that he had to patrol the West wing corridor, which wasn't the one he was on at the moment. He was currently heading down the main East wing towards were the surgery and the Professors quarters were. But he didn't plan on visiting Xavier. His intended host was a young girl who he planned on helping, no matter what it took. Pushing his palm against a blue touch screen no bigger than a video box he waited for the doors to slide open. He passed through the first surgery, overlooking the young, blonde girl lying on the bed. In the second surgery he stopped and stared at the bed. Lying there was a girl hooked up to a three machines and a monitor. He stared at her, trying to control any obvious signs of emotion even though he was the only conscious one in the room. He stepped cautiously towards the bed. Sitting on a chair next to it he stared at the young girl, his eyes telling a story his mouth couldn't. Wolverine rubbed his palms together, trying to kneed out the tingling feeling in them.  
  
Wolverine was scared. He felt like he knew Marie, that she was someone from his past that he couldn't remember. He felt a need to look after her and to protect her and that was his reason for what he was going to do next. Even though Logan's mind was fogged by doubts and anxieties, he leant over the bed and took the young girls hand. He gulped back the pain as he felt a pulsing sensation run through his body and his skin turn a pale, ghostly white. He watched in slight horror as blueish veins in his arms, neck and all over his body started to rise up against his skin. He tried to distract his mind by thinking of something else, something different, but all that occupied it was Rogue and the process that was happening between them. Logan could feel his body becoming heavy with an almost deathly tire, but even so he still focused all his energy on maintaining his grip with her. To him that was all that mattered. Believe it or not, next to his lust for Jean, she was the only person she cared for. He didn't have the time for Scott and Ororo had a good heart, but she still annoyed him, she was almost too perfect. The majority of the other kids where still shit scared of him and those that weren't still tended to keep out of way. He felt a deathly fog mist his mind, but he still gripped Marie's hand until it was pulled out from his.  
  
Marie sat bolt upright in bed and pulled her hand from Logan's. She felt a torrid of emotions as she realised that yet again he had saved her life.  
  
"Logan! Logan!" She didn't dare touch him. He didn't respond. "Logan, Logan, please WAKE UP!" she knew that shouting made no difference, instead she pulled the wires and drips out of her and went to get out of bed, but doubled over in pain. Even though she was now conscious she had pulled her hand out of Logan's before the complete healing process was over and the wounds sustained to her back and stomach were still painful. Trying again she managed to stumble to her feet and gripped onto the bed, her nails tearing the cotton sheets in agony. Ignoring the fire raging through her midriff and back she walked towards the door. It opened for her and she saw another room, the same as hers. On the bed lay the girl who had done this to her. She didn't feel anything towards her, no hatred, no pity. Just blankness where the emotion should have been. She glanced at Logan, who was still laying helplessly half on the bed half on the chair. The image of him being so helpless, so vulnerable, spurred her on to ignore the girl on the bed and walk on further. 


End file.
